1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector lock mechanism in which when a pair of male and female connectors are fitted together, connection terminals in the male connector are electrically connected respectively to connection terminals in the female connector. More particularly, the present invention relates to a connector lock mechanism having a mechanism for urging the male and female connectors in respective disengaging directions away from each other when the two connectors, each having the connection terminals received therein, are in a half-fitted condition.
The present application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. Hei. 11-169986, which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
A pair of male and female connectors have heretofore been used for electrically connecting a plurality of wires. When the male and female connectors are fitted together, connection terminals, received in a housing of the male connector, contact connection terminals, received in a housing of the female connector, so that the former connection terminals are electrically connected to the latter connection terminals, respectively.
When the male and female connectors are incompletely or half fitted together, the electrical connection sometimes fails to be achieved. For example, Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei. 10-41014 discloses male and female connectors which are disengaged from each other when the two connectors are in an incompletely-fitted or half-fitted condition, thereby preventing the male and female connectors from being kept in such a half-fitted condition.
In a connector lock mechanism 50 shown in FIG. 8, and also disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei. 10-41014, male connection terminals 52 are received in a female connector 51, and female connection terminals 54 are received in a male connector 53.
An elastic retaining piece portion 55, formed on the male connector 53, is engaged with an engagement projection 56, formed on the female connector 51, thereby locking the male and female connectors 53 and 51 to each other in a fitted condition.
The engagement projection 56 has a triangular cross-section defined by a gently-slanting surface 56A and an abruptly-slanting surface 56B. Therefore, when the two connectors 51 and 53 are in an incompletely-fitted or half-fitted condition, a distal end 55A of the elastic retaining piece portion 55 slides down the gently-slanting surface because of its own restoring force, so that the two connectors 51 and 53 are separated from each other in their respective disengaging directions.
In contrast, when the two connectors 51 and 53 are completely fitted together, so that the male connection terminals 52 are electrically connected respectively to the female connection terminals 54, the distal end 55A of the elastic retaining piece portion 55 slides down the abruptly-slanting surface 56B, and is completely engaged with the engagement projection 56. As a result, the two connectors 51 and 53 are locked to each other in a positively-fitted condition.
In the above connector lock mechanism 50, when the two connectors 51 and 53 are to be disengaged from each other, the distal end 55A of the elastic retaining piece portion 55 is lifted out of engagement with the engagement projection 56. However, the elastic retaining piece portion 55 can not be easily elastically deformed upwardly, and therefore the operation for canceling the fitted condition could not be easily carried out.
And besides, when a half-fitted condition is encountered, this is detected through the resilient force of the elastic retaining piece portion 55. However, when the number of connection terminals increases, a large disengaging force is required, and when the angle of inclination of the gently-slanting surface 56A is increased, there have been encountered problems that the connector becomes bulky in size and that the burden on the elastic retaining piece portion 55 increases.